What Happens After A Transplant?

Many patients who’ve had a hair transplant can become very concerned about the newly-transplanted hair and often discuss as to what happens after hair transplant. In the months that follow the procedure, you might start comparing your own hair growth to other people’s pictures posted online and realise that you are falling behind. Are these emotions unfounded? Very often they are.

When a harvested graft is transplanted into the recipient area, a process begins which takes several months, and it may not be what you’d expect. In the first 3 days post-transplant, the grafts begin working to regain their blood supply 1,2. Because of this, the hair shaft is shed, starting from week 1 up until week 6 after the hair transplant surgery has been performed. Only a very small percentage of patients don’t shed their hair after hair transplant surgery. Earliest hair growth starts generally from month 3.

Before we continue it is important to realise that every patient transplanted hair grows at a different rate. Some might be quicker than others. Every patient is unique, and the result should not be evaluated until 12 months in. Yet, we can give a rough estimation of how long it takes for the hair to start growing back, following a hair transplant.

Hair Regrowth After a Hair Transplant

First, we need to differentiate between two important phases: The penetration of the new hair graft into the skin’s surface, versus the “maturation” of the new hair shaft. When a hair shaft has just has penetrated the skin, it will still undergo many changes in overall appearance that will contribute to the result. For a period, it will remain very fine, weak and very light in colour. This will gradually improve as time passes, until it is indistinguishable from your original hair.

Remember that this is an average and a very rough estimation of where a patient should be in a certain period. While most people see their desired end-result pretty much by the 12-month mark, some very late growers might see their results later, at around the 15-18-month mark. As already stated, the result shouldn’t be evaluated for at least 12 months.

The most important thing is to be patient. If you still don’t have the desired result by 6 months, don’t start panicking. Your best days are yet to come. You can visit our results page to see some examples of hair transplant results.

Dr. Venkataram Mysore was one of the first surgeons to learn hair transplantation in India. He is an expert in FUT and is one of the most respected Hair Transplant experts in the world. He has edited the first Indian textbook on the subject and is the first and only Indian Dermatologist to be made a fellow of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgeons.